A. Field of the Invention
This relates to Christmas ornaments and in particular Christmas ornaments that also serve as a fire and smoke detector.
B. Prior Art
There are other prior art references related to hazard detection specifically as it relates to Christmas ornaments. A representative example of this type of device can be found at Solak, U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,865. In the Solak application a smoke or heat detector in the form of a Christmas tree ornament sends a signal to a remote receiver upon detection of smoke or heat in the lower portion of the tree. The remote receiver then energizes an alarm circuit and sounds an appropriate alarm. In the present application, this is an all-in-one unit that detects the smoke or heat and also sounds the alarm; the present application does not employ an independent receiver.
Another example in the prior art can be found at Schoenwetter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,878, which is a smoke alarm mounted atop a Christmas tree. A built-in ionization chamber is contained within the cavity of the ornament and again sends a signal to a remote location. Another example in the prior art is found at Bridges, U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,221.
The current device is different in certain material respects to the prior art and specifically using a heat or smoke detector with an audible alarm system built into the ornament.